The production of Brassica napus, commonly known as canola, is an important part of the overall agricultural industry of western Canada. White stem rot of canola caused by Sclerotinia sclerotiorum is one of the most serious fungal diseases limiting the yield of canola production in western Canada. Among the many cell wall degrading enzymes secreted by this fungus, endo-polygalacturonase (endo PG) SSPG1d and aspartyl protease are considered to be important for pathogenesis. It is known to use recombinant antibodies to engineer resistance in plants to viral as well as fungal diseases, however, no such approach has been used to target SSPG1d, aspartyl protease or the fungal mycelia to reduce the pathogenicity of this fungus.
Therefore, there is a need in the art for recombinant antibodies to Sclerotinia antigens, which may then be used to engineer resistance in plants to Sclerotinia infections.